Chris Bradford facts for kids

Chris Bradford is an English author and a black belt in martial arts. He is most famous for his exciting children's book series, Young Samurai.

The first Young Samurai book, The Way of the Warrior, came out in 2008. Disney bought the rights that same year. Seven more books followed. A ninth book, The Return of the Warrior, was published in 2018 for the series' tenth anniversary.

In 2013, Chris Bradford released the first book in his Bodyguard series, called Hostage. This book is about a young teenage bodyguard named Connor Reeves. His first big job is to protect the daughter of the US president.

The second Bodyguard book, Ransom, became a Top Ten bestseller in the UK. In this story, Connor protects twin daughters on a super-luxury yacht from Somali pirates. Chris Bradford has said that there will be six books in the Bodyguard series. The first book even hints at a bigger mystery that runs through the whole series.

Chris Bradford has also written books about the music business. One well-known book is Heart & Soul: Revealing the Craft of Songwriting.

He often visits schools to encourage reading. He also gives cool martial arts demonstrations to students.

How Chris Bradford Writes His Stories

Chris Bradford uses a special way of writing he calls ‘method-writing’. He explained that this helps him write very real and action-packed novels. It also lets him create exciting events around his books. At these events, he can show off martial arts moves. He can also teach readers important bodyguard skills. This is just like the heroes and heroines in his books.

Chris Bradford's School Visits

Chris Bradford puts on amazing shows that include samurai sword displays. He also does martial arts demonstrations and bodyguard training. His events are very interactive and use multi-media. An events manager from Waterstones bookstore called his event "One of the most unparalleled book events of the year."

Chris Bradford travels for over three months each year. He has visited more than 1500 schools. He has also been to 50 book festivals and 25 different countries. He performs two main shows: "Bodyguard" and "Samurai".

His Martial Arts Skills

Chris Bradford started learning judo when he was eight years old. Since then, he has trained in ten different martial arts styles. These include Shotokan karate, Muay Thai, iaido, and taijutsu. He holds a black belt in some of these styles. His wide experience in martial arts has helped him write the Young Samurai books. It also helps him create real fight scenes in his novels. These scenes are praised for being both exciting and true to life.

Before He Was an Author

Before becoming a full-time author, Chris Bradford was a professional songwriter. He worked with many successful musicians. He even performed with James Blunt. He also performed at the Notting Hill Carnival and for Queen Elizabeth II.

Awards and Recognition

• Northern Ireland Book Award (2011)
• Hampshire Book Award (2014)
• Brilliant Book Award (2014)
• Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior was named one of Puffin's 70 Best Ever Books.